Inclusive evacuation exercises in multi-hazard scenarios: lessons learnt from Greece
The 2023 Global Survey Report on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters demonstrated the urgent need for disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DIDRR). The European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF) headquarted in Greece, has aligned its strategic priorities with DIDRR, and supports the inclusivity goal in practice by organizing relevant activities.
One such activity is an inclusive evacuation exercise implemented in cooperation with the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities and the Institute of the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases (ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA). The exercise took place in October 2023 at ESAmeA premises, based on a multiple scenario of an earthquake that triggered a fire incident in the building, and sought to improve disability-inclusive evacuation processes.
This exercise was innovative in terms of the early engagement and consultation of the representatives from the disability community in absolutely all its phases: design, planning, and implementation.
PreventionWeb interviewed the key stakeholders which made this inclusive evacuation exercise possible.
Can you explain why it is important to involve representatives from the disability community in preparing and executing evacuation scenarios?
Efstathia Athinaiou, GSCP: The mission of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP) is to protect the citizen's life, health and property from natural, technological and other major hazards. Within this framework and acknowledging that prevention and preparedness activities mitigate the effects of disasters, making civil protection policies inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities remains our priority.
"Together, with the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, we have shown how the principle "leaving no one behind" can be put into practice, ensuring the "nothing without us" principle can be implemented respecting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)"
-Ioannis Vardakastanis, head of ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA
Evangelia Kallimani, IN-ESAmeA: Persons with disabilities, chronic diseases, and their families, through their representative organizations, can take the lead in ensuring the unhindered and equal exercise of the rights of citizens with disabilities in emergencies. They can offer added value as they are the key actors who know better than anyone else how the rights-based approach to disability can be put into practice.
What were the impacts and outcomes of the evacuation exercise? How will this affect plans and policies?
E. Kallimani: During the exercise, we learned that the essential items used by persons with disabilities, such as the white cane, wheelchair, and oxygen bottle, should be saved during an evacuation, if possible. If it isn't possible to rescue these items, they should at least be restorable. Otherwise, persons with disabilities cannot return to their daily lives and remain excluded.
It is important to note that different ways of assisting rescue and evacuation are required depending on the type of disability, for example for people with cognitive or mental disabilities or people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"Such an innovative exercise has brought closer the ESAmeA and the Ministry thus giving substance to "nothing without us". This evacuation exercise is a strong policy tool in our hands, and it could be a role model for other ministries and entities."
-Ioannis Vardakastanis, head of ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA
We should not forget that there are also invisible disabilities and therefore the Disability Card, the information of which can be known in advance to the competent services and the municipality, can play an important supporting role to rescuers in the management of emergencies.
E. Athinaiou: The General Secretariat of Civil Protection has already issued guidelines for the organized preventive evacuation of citizens for the protection from ongoing or imminent disasters due to forest fires and instructions for the preparation of special plans in the context of the implementation of Art. 23 par. 4 of Law 4662/2020 (6PMI46NPITH-738) in which there are clear references concerning the protection and information procedure for persons with disabilities.
In addition to the above, and in the institutional framework of civil protection (Law 4662/2020, as amended by Law 5075/2023), accessible information actions were foreseen for persons with disabilities, chronic diseases or mobility difficulties.
Dimitrios Alexandris, GSCP: On the part of the Ministry, it was recognized through the exercise that it is essential to:
- train the actors involved in techniques, behaviours and equipment that will facilitate the participating personnel on a tactical level to evacuate a building where persons with disabilities are involved.
- inform the authorities involved of the requirements and specificities that arise during the implementation of building evacuation or organized preventive evacuation operations involving persons with disabilities and highlight the importance of inclusion in emergency response planning.
- optimize GSCP's self-protection guidelines concerning persons with disabilities.
"The exercise has helped us to improve our practice, our services and our preparedness."
-Evangelia Kallimani, IN-ESAmeA
Sofia Karma, ECFF: As a follow-up of the exercise that was implemented in the framework of ECFF's project entitled "Resilience4ALL", funded by the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, and with the contribution of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection and its head who is particularly supportive to initiatives that promote inclusive disaster resilience, the following actions were launched in collaboration with ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA:
- An accessible public awareness video on Inclusion and Disaster Awareness.
- A training seminar for firefighters on disability management techniques.
What are the key recommendations for improving disaster management plans to better accommodate persons with disabilities, and how can these be implemented at both local and international levels?
S. Karma: To cope with existing and emerging hazards there is a need to shift the focus to disaster preparedness and response based on "leaving no one behind". Future local action plans and DRR policies need to incorporate the disability perspective and the active involvement of persons with disabilities at the cross-sectoral level.
"Collaboration with the representative organizations of persons with disabilities, chronic diseases, and their families is the cornerstone of the inclusion of their rights in each stage of disaster risk management. We need to keep always in mind to leave no one behind."
-Ioannis Vardakastanis, head of ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA
E. Kallimani: The universal implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the enhancement of the legislation, the data collection for the persons with disabilities together with the interaction of central, regional and local administration, the training of the staff of the responsible authorities and the training of persons with disabilities how to draw a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP), are some of the key recommendations that will ensure the visibility and safety of persons with disabilities.
D. Alexandris: Among the outputs of the exercise were several key recommendations, which were indicated for future improvement of disaster management plans, such as:
- Interoperability and interaction of central, regional and local administration, engaging the disability community during the drafting and updating of civil protection plans, is necessary.
- Τraining both the authorities involved in emergency management and persons with disabilities via raising their awareness and alertness with self-protection guidelines is key to strengthening their coping capacity.
- Updating and upgrading organised preventive evacuation exercises by civil protection in terms of involving persons with disabilities is necessary.
- Preparation of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) for persons with disabilities can, first of all, provide people who may have a physical, visual, hearing or cognitive impairment with the necessary information for managing their evacuation safely, but also this information could be utilized by the Municipalities or other Public Administration services for ensuring that the proper level of assistance will be available for those people in case of emergency.
Ioannis Vardakastanis is the President of the Greek National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities and the Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases (ESAmeA/IN-ESAmeA). Since 1999 he has been the President of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and for more than 15 years he held positions of responsibility in the International Disability Alliance (IDA).
Evangelia Kallimani is the Deputy Director of the Institute of National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities and Chronic Diseases in Greece (IN-ESAmeA). She is involved in social services activities for the promotion and defence of the rights of persons with disabilities, chronic diseases and their families.
Dimitrios Alexandris is the Emergency Response Planning Director at the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and a member of the Steering Committee of the European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF).
Efstathia Athinaiou is Head of the National Planning Department of the Directorate of Emergency Response Planning at the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, Hellenic Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and member of the Steering Committee of the European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF).
Sofia Karma is Director of the European Center for Forest Fires (ECFF), EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, Council of Europe and Academic Staff at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece.